Gate.



E. s UMPHRYBS.

GATE.

APPLIUATION FILED APR. 15, 1914.

1913mm Patented Mar.9,1915.

2 SHBBTS-SHEET l.

E. S. UMPHRYES.

GATE.

APPLICATION FILED APR15;1914,

L1 8LW% Patented Mar. 9, 1915.

2 SHEETSSHEBT 2.

'HE NORRIS PETERS 60., PHOTO LITHO WASHINGTON. I1 C.

"Ultra snares EPHRAIM S. UMIPHRYES, OF MAGGIE/1B, ILLINOIS.

earn.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 9, 1915.

Application filed April 15, 1914, Serial No. 832,084.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, EPHRAIM S. UMPH- nrns, citizen of the United States, residing at li lacomb, in the county of McDonough. and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gates, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to gates, and particularly to means for opening and closing the same; and the intent and purpose of the improved arrangement is to dispense entirely with the ordinary gate latch and substitute therefor an opening and closing device connected to the gate adjacent one end, said device being actuatable through movement of a lver disposed on either side of the gate.

As a further object of the invention. I contemplate a gate structure wherein the boards or beams comprising the gate are so arranged as to offer little resistance in open ing and closing movement.

The invention as a still further object aims to provide gate operating mechanism including a pivoted weight, the latter being so connected to the gate, and so actuated, as to cause the gate to be automatically opened or closed as the said weight is swung past a dead center position or at an angle to the vertical.

drawings wherein like characters denote.

like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, and in which Figure l is a side elevation, the gate be ing closed; Fig. 2 is a similar view, the gate being opened; Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the gate when closed, a portion of the opcrating mechanism being shown in section; and Fig. 4 is an enlarged View illustrating the detail arrangement of the operating means.

Referring now to the drawings by numorals, 1 designates the post to which the gate, designated as an entirety by the n umeral 2 is hingedly connected as at 3. Said gate 2 in its preferred embodiment comprises a plurality of uprights 4 connected by means of longitudinal beams or boards 5, square in cross section and set to offer a minimum amount of resistance during an opening and closing movement of the gate.

The gate structure is braced as indicated at 6. To one of the brace beams 6, as indicated at 7, is pivoted a lever designated 8, said lever being formed of a strip of metal splitthroughout the greater portion of its length and bent longitudinally, the bent portions being riveted at one end as indicated at 9. That portion of the strip comprising the lever 8 bent as above set forth to form extensions 10, is such in its nature as to form a. bifurcation within which one end of a weight member 11 is fitted. Said weight member 11 as indicated at 12 is pivoted within the bifurcation and between the extensions 10, preferably at a point remote from the free end of the said lever. From the above arrangement, it is apparent that the connecting portion 13 of the lever 8 may serve as an abutment for the lever 11 to maintain, when the gate is closed, the

weight and the lever in axial alinementJ \Vhen thus alined, as illustrated to advantage in Figs. 2 and a of the drawings, an opening of the gate 2 cannot be effected other than in a manner to be hereinafter fully described. The opposite end of the weight member 11 from that pivoted to the lever 8 is supported between extensions of a bracket 14- made fast to the ground and positioned at one side of the gate post 1, and sufficiently at the side to in no way interfere with the movement of the gate when open. Between the extensions 10 of the lever 8 a rod 15 is secured, said rod serving as an element over which one end of a connecting rod 16'is arranged, the opposite end of the said rod being pivoted as at 18 to one of the operating levers 19 of the gate. Said lever 19 is bifurcated at its inner end to receive not only the rod 16 but to receive the inner end of the other operating lever 20, the latter being slotted as at 21 through which a pivot pin 22 extends, thereby providing for movement of the levers 19 and 20 upon operating the gate. lhe levers 19 and 20 are fulcrumed intermediate their ends as indicated respectively at 23 and 24: to posts 25 and 2-6 positioned one upon each side of the gate post 1 and at a suitable distance therefrom, the post 25 serving as a stop means for the gate 2 when opened. A sec 0nd gate post 27 is positioned relatively to the post 1 to form an abutment for the gate when closed. 7

Operation is as follows: The operator, if going in the direction indicated by the ar row in Fig. 1, first grasps the lever 2-0 or the element 28 depending therefrom, gives said element or lever a sudden pull or a pull sufficient to cause rod 16 to lift lever 8 and weight 11. As the latter is lifted or raised to a vertical position, the impetus will cause the same to pass a deadcenter or vertical position and, by the weight of the lever will cause the gate 2 to be widely opened or swung into engagement with post 25. The operator then passing between the posts 1 and 27 or through the gate then grasps lever 19 or element 29 depending therefrom, pulls the same in much the same manner as the lever 20 was actuated, lifts weight member 11 to a vertical position, permitting said weight to pass a deadcenter position and, by its own Weight, automatically close the gate orrreturn it into the position shown in Fig. 1 or until the connecting portion 13 of the lever 8 is in engagement with the said weight, the engagement maintaining the weight and lever alined. a

From the foregoing, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings it is apparent that the gate cannot be opened other than by lifting the lever and weight as the said lever and weight when alined hold the gate immovable; that an opening or closing of the gate may be effected regardless of the direction of approach; and that post 25 serves the dual purpose of supporting the lever 19 and of forming a stop for the gate in an opening operation.

In reduction to practice, I have found that the form of my invention, illustrated in i the drawings andreferred to in the above Copies of this patent may be obtained for description, as the preferred embodiment, is the most eflicient and practical; yet realizing that the conditions concurrent with the adoption of my device will necessarily vary,

I desire to emphasize the fact that various minor changes in details of construction, proportion and arrangement of parts may be resorted to, when required, without sacrificing any of the advantages of my invention, as defined in the appended claim.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

In gate operating mechanism, the combination with the gate, of a pivoted weight member curved in cross section, a locking member to which the weight member is fastened, said locking member comprising a substantially U-shaped strip, the connecting portion of the strip being bent longitudinally to conform to the curved portion of the weight member, the connecting portion of the strip serving as an abutment therefor to maintain the weight member and the looking member alined in the closed position of the gate, the extensions of the U-shaped member being connected at their respective terminals and to the gate, a pin connecting the extensions, and means fastened to the pin, said last mentioned means being actuable to bodily move the weight member and the U-shaped member out of alinement during an opening of the gate, the weight mem ber operating to either automatically close or open the gate when swung in a plane other than the vertical.

In testimony whereof I afliX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

' EPHRAIM S. UMPHRYES.

Witnesses:

PHILIP E. ELTING, MAY SHANNON.

five cents each, byaddressing' the Commissioner oi Patents,

Washington, D. 0. 

